


Juniors

by Anonymous



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-11 02:39:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15962939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "Eh?! We have to look after the new kids?!""Urgh. Get a room.""Is he…by any chance…bipolar?"Quartet Night didn’t initially take well to the idea of having juniors.Alternatively, a collection of moments depicting Quartet Night and their juniors.





	Juniors

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I have not played the game.

.

I. Juniors

.

“Eh?! We have to look after the new kids?!” Reiji frowns.

“ _Yeeeessss_ …Although it would be inaccurate to call them kids at their age. _You_ are to simply guide them in their careers – just to make sure these kiddies do not fade like fireworks after their miraculous debuuut.” A bouquet of flowers disappears from the President’s hands in a flicker of light, and he grins, face-splittingly wide.

“These children are Hyuga and my beloved, sweet students. Look after them for us, ne♡?” Ringo winks, a burst of heart fading away with some sparkles. Behind him, Hyuga sweatdrops.

“Eh…but…” Reiji furrows his brows.

“Give it up, Reiji.” Ranmaru sighs.

“According to my data, the President has his way 100% of the time.” Ai adds helpfully.

“That’s all the time!” Reiji frowns.

“ _Mr_ Reiji! _Mr_ Ranmaru! Ai… _You_ guuuuys had benefited loooots from your own seniors’ guidance back then…” He’s using the guilt card?! Reiji pouts. Shining’s glasses flash. “Now…It’s time for you to contribute to the agency and provide guidance for the next generation!”

A burst of smoke behind him provides a dramatic explosion effect. Hyuga sighs as he fans the fog away from his bucket of dry ice. Beside him, Ringo coughs demurely, holding his own bucket.

“…Very well. All we have to do is to give them advice, right?” Ai folds his arms.

“Ai-Ai…” Reiji whines.

“No matter how busy we are with our increasing popularity, we should be able to do this much. Afterall, we are professionals.” The AI star states matter-of-factly, almost petulant in the way he fixes his idol group with his eyes.

Reiji hides his surprise behind a frown. As usual, Ai is the first to submit to Shining, though…It should only be expected given that he is his ‘father’. But even then, Ai was right. Their job as professionals is to make people happy no matter how tired or worn out they themselves may be. That, of course, applies even if they have to take in a few juniors under their wing.

Reiji smiles. As expected of the perfect idol to remind him of their duties even now. Their roles as the youngest and oldest of Quartet Night are reversed ironically.

“…I got it.” He relents with a grin. “Having some juniors might not be bad afterall! They may even call me ‘sempai’!” He laughs jokingly.

“Stop dreaming already, Reiji.” Ranmaru gives a look of utter distaste.

“The wise man faces reality.” Ai quotes the common cliché.

“So cruel-! The both of you~” He sobs.

“I’m fine with it, but I have one concern…” Ranmaru steps forward.

“Eh? Ran-ran-?”

“…Why is Camus freed from this babysitting duty?”

“Ca-“ Ringo blinks. “-mu-” Hyuga’s eye twitches. “- _Ssuuu_ …?” Shining finishes with much splendour.

He pauses, thinking for a moment, and bursts out in clamorous laughter, twirling swirls around the room.

“ _You_ guys…Can you hoooonestly imagine Mr Camus rooming with a junior?” He asks with a chortle.

“E-eh?” It's Ranmaru’s turn to be taken off guard.

Reiji tries to image it: Camus, who likes tidiness, rooming with a messy teenager; Camus, who is the very definition of a high and mighty noble with pretty much a stick up his arse (to put crudely), offering kind words to a dejected junior; Camus, THAT two-faced Camus, who likes his personal space more than anything else, spending the rest of his next three months acting as his alternate persona in his own room without so much as a break…

He shudders and hugs himself.

“S-Someone will die.” He has such a premonition…

“Reiji will most likely die.” Ai intones. (Afterall, Reiji is Quartet Night’s unofficial punching bag.)

“Yeah.” Ranmaru agrees. “I asked a stupid question.”

“Eh?! What was that you said, Ai-Ai?!” Rei-chan’s glass heart is hurt.

“THAT’S WHY!” Shining leaps onto his desk. “I am currently searching the eaaarth for the most annoying candidate for Mr Camus to teach – so that _Mr_ Reiji will not die.” He pauses to stare passionately into the eyes of Quartet Night’s most lively member. “Be graaaateful, _Mr_ Reiji!”

E-Eh? Reiji looks around for support only to find agreement in the eyes of all occupants of the room.

“Eeeeh?! You guys are so mean!”

“Let’s go over their profiles at once, shall we?” Hyuga pretends not to hear him.

.

II. Welcoming

.

“Otoyan is so cute~☆! His daily interactions with Toki are the best! It’s not every day one can wake up to something that’s even cuter than puppy videos! And he even calls me ‘sempai’ at times. I’m so glad I helped him move in when he did!” Reiji exclaims, throwing his hands into the air and placing them on the backrest.

“Don’t touch me.” Ranmaru grumbles.

“You are taking up too much space, Reiji.” Ai states.

“Remove your hand at once, peasant.” Camus agrees as he sips his tea.

It is not every day that one would see all of Quartet Night’s members together in a limo. Their individual schedules as soloists simply do not allow that luxury often. However, much fortunately, since Camus has the morning off and the rest of them are now living at the dorms, they are able to travel to work together for once.

“Eh?! ‘Peasant’? I thought I had graduated from that, Myu-chan!” Reiji whines.

“The action of helping a newcomer move in is the very mark of a peasant.” Camus delicately sits the teacup with a clear sounding ‘clink’. “It’s unbecoming of a member of our group to cater to the demands of children.”

“‘Children’…” Reiji sweatdrops. They _are_ teenagers, aren’t they…? Ah, but he thought of them as children once too, so he can’t fault Camus for that.

“He is right.” Ai agrees. “As their seniors in the Master Course, we ought to introduce them to the hierarchy that exists in the entertainment industry. That includes taking a harsh stance towards them, such as setting them a time table, a calorie intake plan, even an exercise course…”

Suddenly, Ai and his words seems much darker despite his pale features and still soft tone.

Time table…Camus gives into the urge and peers over his book, reminded of the rigorous plans Ai often sets that go right down to the minute. Calorie intake plan…Ranmaru gulps, recalling Ai’s constant (almost creepy) stares over his shoulders whenever he was cooking for them. Exercise course…As athletic as he is, Reiji pales rapidly, reminded of the few outings which Ai had planned for them long ago; they had included mountain climbing excursions, running between towns on foot, even being cooped in a gym for two entire weeks non-stop…

They suddenly pity the juniors very much.

“H-…How did you welcome them, Ai-Ai?” Reiji asks out of partial terror for poor Kurusu Syo and Shinomiya Natsuki.

“Ah, I pushed their things aside and drew a line for my personal space.” Ai reports blankly. To prevent them from disturbing him when he’s ‘sleeping’, Reiji fills in for himself quietly. Afterall, Quartet Night had discovered that fact through that method.

“That’s-” Reiji begins commenting.

“Subsequently, I drew a schedule for them to help them learn some discipline.”

“-great…?” Reiji’s smile twitches.

A moment of silence comes over them as the three give their condolences to Ai’s juniors. There is no doubt amongst them that however much the poor kids may complain, it's inevitable they would be dragged along with Ai’s unfathomable, inhuman pace.

“…Is there something wrong?” Ai questions.

“Nope! Not at all, Ai-Ai! Haha…” Reiji laughs, eyes trailing about and latches onto the first distraction he had. “Ah! But what about you, Ran-Ran? How did you welcome Masa and Ren?”

“I tossed out a ton of stuff.” Ranmaru sighs at the thought, crossing his arms in irritation. “One of them included a tatami. The bulky thing was taking up too much space.”

“Tatami…?” He doesn’t really want to know, honestly.

“There was also a sofa bed and a huge cupboard. And for some reason, a constructor for an Irori (Japanese fireplace) came. I had to chase him out.”

“Haha…” Reiji smiles weakly. He turns to his reading teammate. “Myu-chan, I don’t think I mind being demoted to a peasant afterall.”

Afterall, if it means having the healthiest senior-junior relationship amongst them, he thinks it is more than a worthy sacrifice. Reiji ignores the questioning hum from Camus, smiling out of the window as the sun’s rays shower upon his pleased face. Honestly, he feels enlightened.

Poor Camus tilts his head marginally, completely unaware that he will be joining this senior meeting soon enough.

Amen.

.

III. Bipolarism

.

Since Starish has only just debuted, they primarily stalk (ah-hem! followed) their seniors for the first couple of weeks as they wait for job offers to come through the agency. That includes standing backstage when Quartet Night perform their group performances, alongside occasional brush-ins with each other during their soloist jobs ranging from modelling to musicals to voice acting.

It takes them a week before they finally give into their curiosity, much to Reiji’s amusement.

“E-Erm…Kotobuki-sempai!” Reiji intentionally ignores Otoya and adjusts his tie in the mirror. He should know what he wants. Afterall, he'd told him so many times…“Eh…Rei-chan!”

“Yes?” He spins around a bit too enthusiastically, grin playing on his lips.

“We have a question that we hope you would answer…” Otoya trails off, red eyes dropping to the ground in an almost sheepish manner as a tan finger scratches his cheek out of habit.

In their usual dynamics, Tokiya brings up the topic his partner is so hesitant to talk about.

“We’ve been seeing him for a while now...The fourth and final member of Quartet Night, Camus.” He starts politely, eyes flickering to the door which Camus had left through. If Reiji is correct, the noble’s next job should be a restaurant rating film at Shibuya… “If you don’t mind answering a personal question, is he…by any chance…”

Tokiya glances around, leaning in with serious eyes and cupped mouth to whisper:

“…Bipolar?”

Otoya shifts nervously, anxiously, now that Reiji takes a second look. Tokiya seems to fully believe in his theory in the very way his lips pursue in concentration.

Reiji bursts out laughing.

Bipolar indeed! It was the same theory he had had back then when Quartet Night was newly formed – a theory which was soon dissipated as their understanding deepened. Of course, there was also the theory about Camus secretly being a tall flat-chested girl with drastic cases of PMS, but that was proven false on their first filming together at a hot spring.

But…There's just something comical about having others find about Camus and react that way. And more so, the way his two adorable juniors seem to offer Camus sensitivity in the way they're so hushed about the entire thing. If only Camus knew!

“A-Afterall, he did seem different when there are only us around in the preparatory room; Almost like a different person.” Tokiya reasons with a sweatdrop, fearing that he had perhaps insulted his senior with the suspicion.

“That’s right! He even glared at us when he was so polite before at our first meeting…” Otoya nods in agreement.

Reiji’s laughter falters as he takes in the words and made a note to have revenge on Camus for bullying his cute charges.

“How to explain it…” He smiles casually, rubbing his neck. “I guess if we have to put a metaphor to Myu-chan…I guess he’s like a turtle!”

“A turtle?!” Tokiya and Otoya echo.

“Yup! With a perfect shell to show off to the world which he carries with him consistently, and a hidden self that only comes out when he feels it is safe enough…Camus is like a turtle with an ice heart, I guess!” He explains.

“Eh…ah.” Based on Tokiya’s look, it seems like he gets it. He should. Afterall, he used that method before with himself and Hayato…according to Shining’s data, that is.

“Eh…Poor Camus-sempai.” Otoya sniffles. …What? Reiji blinked, confused. “He’s even worse than we thought he was…Who knew he is still undergoing Chuunibyou (Middle School Syndrome)-?”

“……Eh?”

Reiji processes his words and takes a deep breath.

Camus, who is on his way out of the studio, hears the bellowing laughter almost as loud as Shining’s usual clamour. He winces and makes a note to make it known to Kotobuki Reiji that he has been demoted to lesser than a peasant. Afterall, no peasant should degrade Quartet Night’s reputation with their inelegant behaviour.

.

IV. Age and Birthdays

.

“…Our ages?” Ranmaru furrows his brows. “Why would you need to know that?”

Shinomiya blinks adorably, a large cheery smile on his face as always as he cocks his head to the side. He hugs the clipboard to his chest, answering rather happily.

“Oh, silly you! If we don’t know, how would we know how many candles to put on your birthday cakes, seniors?” He beams, sunflowers sprouting around his face.

Reiji thinks he might have seen some piyo chicklings floating around the junior’s face. It must be his imagination.

“Celebrating birthdays has been a long held tradition of Starish since our Academy days.” Nanami approaches them with a smile. “P-Please tell us your ages and birthdays so we can celebrate your birthdays together when they come.”

“I don’t want to.” Ranmaru answers frostily, turning the juniors to stone. With a sigh, he turns back to his meal. “Besides, we’re not part of Starish. There’s no reason why we have to join in your childish ritual.”

“Eh? Come on, Ran-Ran! You’re no fun!” Reiji whines.

“I agree.” Ai states.

“Not you too, Ai-Ai!”

“Birthdays are meaningless dates that are just the same as every other day. If we have time to celebrate, we may as well use it as an opportunity to attract more fans.”

How theoretical as always…

“B-But…” Nanami interrupts shyly. “…I personally think that birthdays are special because they’re the day we were born. Not to mention that as seniors, you have done so much for us…It’s only right for us to return the favour on that day and celebrate your existence in this world…” She fidgets, fingers twiddling behind her back – the action visible based on her shifting upper arms.

Reiji sweatdrops. This one is not really good at hiding her nervousness, is she? But well…He tosses discrete glances at his two teammates. It seems like they have also noticed her anxiety and find it hard to refuse for a second time. The look in their eyes has changed afterall.

Well, they are gentlemen despite their hardy attitudes towards their juniors.

Reiji smirks as he stretches.

“Well, when you say it like that, it’s impossible to refuse you guys.”

Nanami’s expression turns hopeful. Beside her, Natsuki also stares up at them despite his taller height and his lips trembles pleadingly.

Ranmaru sighs while Ai unfolds his arms.

“If it’s only birthday and age…”

“I see no losses in revealing such information…not that it has not already been revealed.”

Reiji snickers. True that. One could only wonder why the juniors did not just search their profiles online to find out that one tiny tidbit of information.

The two hopeful faces beam.

“Thanks a lot, Reiji-sempai!” Natsuki exclaims.

“No need to be so formal! Just call me Rei-chan, like Otoyan does!” He winks.

As the scratching of pen on paper resounded in the dining room, a loud screech can be heard approaching. Furious thumps of steps against the hallway resounded and the door is tossed open with such clamour Camus would be annoyed if he’s here, revealing their blond and red-haired juniors.

“STOP! DON’T GIVE NATSUKI THOSE INFORMATION!” He panted. “His food is…le…thal-”

“Ah, Syo-chan! I just baked a cookie. Do you want it? Here~! In it goes♡!”

“MPFHFH-!”

Kurusu faints.

“Eh?” Reiji blinks in confusion.

.

V. Age and Birthdays II

.

“F-F-F-Fifteen…” Syo stutters.

“This is a shock.” Ren smiles charmingly, but the small crease of his brow would be evident if one looks closely.

“Who would have thought that Ai-san is younger than us…” Otoya sighs. Beaten by someone younger than them…He knows the world has lots of talented people, but who knew he would meet one of them.

“Come to think of it, Tsukimiya-san is 23, and Reiji is 25…So Reiji is Tsukimiya-san’s sempai as well…?” Tokiya’s eyes narrow.

“Fifteen…” Syo grits his teeth. “…and that height.”

“So…do we still call him sempai when he’s younger than us?” Natsuki ponders.

“Well, he is more experienced in the field, so…”

“Why am I so different?”

“Oi, shortie. Snap out of your depression already and come join us on the couch.”

“Don’t call me short!”

.

VI. Revenge Game

.

“Now, we are all aware that the members of Quartet Night have pleasant relations with each other…But just how much do they know about each other?  It’s time for a bond evaluation!” The crowd clap in accordance to the sign as the emcee beams. “Today, our focus for the day is the ever energetic Kotobuki Reiji and the ever refreshing Camus!”

“Now, before we begin, let us evaluate their bond. Rei-chan, what can you tell us about your relationship with Camus-san?”

Reiji blinks at the mic brought to his face and smiles deviously in his mind.

“Quite honestly speaking, Myu-chan and I are absolutely best buddies! Afterall, even though our height difference is also the greatest, we share quite a lot of similarities in our personalities.” He grins, tossing a side glance to his teammate.

Quite expectedly, Camus hardly twitches though there is a hint of annoyance only visible to those who know him personally. Reiji resists the urge to jump at the a shiver running down his spine. His smile slightly wavers. If they’re not in public, he knows Camus would jump at a chance to put him through a round or two of Ai’s onerous plans. But then again, he must hold strong for his cute little juniors!

“Oh! That is quite unexpected! Afterall, even though the both of you take on the most acting jobs in Quartet Night, your images are often compared to the opposite ends of the spectrum – Rei-chan to be the warm, personal idol, and Camus-san to be the cool, distant and mysterious figure! Now, what do you have to say to this, Camus-san?”

Camus gives a perfect smile.

“Unfortunately, I believe that our personalities differ greatly. Of course, in the acting aspect, the both of us are quite similar. However, our beliefs, habits, and even hobbies often clash. But Reiji is correct in saying that we have a good relationship. I personally am aware of many of his secrets, some of which may be too private to be shared even here.”

Ouch.

Aaaah…It backfired. Reiji almost winces at the sly smile Camus shoots him under his professional demeanour when the acting part is mentioned. Their second youngest has always been as sharp as he was tall...In all honesty, Reiji probably shouldn’t have chosen the mask he did, given how he’s the oldest of them all. And that threat about his secrets…

He beams outwardly and waves his hand.

“Well, the connection between our hearts will hold strong through this hurdle! That’s all that matters!”

“Indeed it will.” Camus agrees lightly, warmth permeating his tone even though it reeks of sarcasm to Reiji’s ears.

“Well, now! Let us move onto the first question from the audience! From ‘How-can-I-stop-procrastinating-chan’ of the Shizuoka Prefecture, the question to Rei-chan is this! ‘Seeing how Reiji-san and Camus-san are considered polar opposites in personality, what do the two of you usually bond over – besides work?’”

Reiji takes a moment to ponder it, making a show of humming thoughtfully as he does so. Grey eyes slide over to rest upon his still stiffly smiling teammate. Should he? He’ll be dragging Ranmaru into the conversation, but…Well! There’s really no other answer anyways, even if there is the option of not exaggerating. He lunges for the more fun option.

“Hm! Other than training, dancing, or singing together, the entire Quartet Night usually hang out when we’re longing for one of Ran-Ran’s meals! Ran-Ran is good with his hands, and it’s always fun watching Myu-chan juggle the plates with his staff!” He plasters his signature grin over his face, pretending not to notice the ice that enters blue eyes.

Camus had only done that for that one time when they had dared him at a drunken New Year Party, of course. But the noble would rather die than to admit to such a sinful deed with his precious staff.

The emcee interprets it differently.

“Oooh! It seems like Camus-san treasure his teammates so much that he is willing to use his royal staff for their entertainment! The Quartet Night truly does have close bonds, ne, Camus-san?”

The unflappable smile twitches for the one second that the camera’s not focused on him. In turn, Reiji carefully raises the level of his bright smile and makes sparkles and rainbows appear around him – a silent message to his teammate and intentional innocence that directs the crowd’s attention away from the momentary crack in Camus’ façade.

_‘This is retribution for bullying my adorable kids, so don’t hold it against me, ne, Myu-chan~?’_

It’s lamentable how the team has indeed gotten close enough for Camus to read that message in the lines of that same deceptive smile. If he’s away from the crowd’s view, Camus would make an exasperated sigh at the older man’s protectiveness.

It seems that the wolf in sheep’s skin has taken those two under his wing. Camus, as well as the rest of Quartet Night, would recognize it. They, too, had long ago realized they were brought under his wing when a rival band member had tried to shoot them down with insults one day. In turn, Reiji had calmly smiled that same edgy smile of his, stepping between them and later proposing a step-up for their dance. The rival band fell behind them and was never heard of again.

He’s gotten a bit too attached to those kids, Camus thinks with a small, barely noticeable tick in his brow. But then again, he realizes, isn’t Camus himself getting a bit attached to Reiji as well?

Camus carefully steps around that minefield in his mental territory and outwardly smiles, placing his face in a palm with uncharacteristic casualness.

“My, that was only a one-off happening, Reiji-kun. Although if you broke your fingers again, I suppose I wouldn’t mind doing it with my staff again.” It’s an adequate excuse, enough to salvage a fraction of his pride while also offering a promise for the future. Camus does not promise things easily.

The edge in grey eyes softens. Reiji’s sunny beam lowers in intensity to a more sincere one.

_Apology accepted._

Though really, they should not be using such a public channel as a playground now to settle their personal issues.

“Ah, and we also bond over Ran-Ran’s mothering skills a lot, as well as Ai-Ai’s teaching skills!” Reiji points out with a laugh, scratching his neck merrily. The topic shifts under the effect of the manipulator’s words. “I don’t really know how to play an instrument, so Ai-Ai and Myu-chan try to help…Though I’m still a lost cause even now! Ahaha~!”

“If you think you are, then naturally, you would be a ‘lost cause’, in your words.” Camus gives a sigh again, mimicking that student of Reiji – what’s his name? The man acting previously as Hayato…Toki?

Camus offers a professional smile as he returns to his straight sitting posture, turning to the emcee.

“Now then, I believe I have a question to answer as well.” Camus turns his brightest smile, tinted with the darkest sadism, on his gulping teammate. He may have apologized, but who said he wouldn’t attempt to get retribution for himself?

.

VII. Height

.

Perhaps, he should not have told them his age afterall. It’s just the physical age which his body was modelled after anyways. It’s not as if his Artificial Intelligence is that old (though Reiji would beg to differ). Still, if regret is the constant looking back at decisions that were perfectly sound at the time in which they were made, Mikaze Ai thought he might be regretting his decision then.

It begins with one lamenting Syo tracking after him.

His junior has made it his mission to stalk after Ai in the past weeks or so, attempting to follow his given schedule with all his heart despite his brain’s complaints about otherwise. Waking up at five, sleeping at nine, eating the balanced diet Ai had all planned out for him and which Ranmaru made reluctantly for the boy.

(The man had tried to sneak some extra food at some point of time, and well, it was a shock to see Syo refusing the mini steaks that Ranmaru took the effort to cook for him.)

It takes Ai approximately fifteen days to figure out the boy’s motivations.

“Ah.” He makes a soft intonation of understanding.

Fast forward the pace of time to the present and he had stumbled upon the disgruntled and very much embarrassed Kurusu Syo moments ago. The junior had been standing at his side of the wall, understandably lacking his overly cheerful companion (Natsuki) for once as he strained and measured his height with a book and pencil.

It was almost heartbreaking (except robots’ hearts do not break) the manner in which Syo had looked at the markings on the wall with the most frustrated and tearful expression Ai has ever seen on him.

A heartbeat later (0.395 seconds he corrected mentally), Syo turned around and froze like a deer in headlights upon seeing Ai at the door.

In that instance, thoughts flicker through Ai’s head. He had played sufficient dramas to know that for a woman whose sensitive topics were touched upon, it would be much prudent to back away slowly and carefully for fear that the woman decides to throw murderous weapons (only to him anyways) such as books and knives. If the woman lives in the same room or under the same roof, the man should also wisely go away and cower in the closets until the woman has calmed and chosen to apologize.

However, Kurusu Syo is not a girl, however much his height may suggest otherwise. He is not pregnant or hormonal, even with his age. And not to mention, the only two closets in their room are either too small or too full of clothes for him to be cowering in.

Ai then backtracked to his previous thought and another connection is made.

“…Oh.” His vocabulary is surprisingly limited that day.

In his defence, given test subject number one’s temperamental personality, Ai has always thought that he is less sensitive than an average human being. Syo has always seemed fairly satisfied with himself, if a bit too ambitious in his career, but that is the norm for idols. They have to be greedy and hungry, or they would not survive. He never thought about classifying Syo as one of those controversial types – the classic ‘tsundere’ that lurches out in a show of sensitivities and emotions.

As for how to deal with this…Well…

“So? What – Are you going to mock me about my height again?” Syo tucks his hands around himself – a defensive motion, Ai registers mildly – and puts on the most affronted expression he has ever done. Looking away bitterly, Syo frowns, blue eyes looking teary and frustrated still. “Y-Yeah. I haven’t grown in the least even though I’ve followed your regime for weeks. It must be because I lack the capacity to grow any further.”

Ai gazes at him strangely in return.

“W-What?! If you have something to say, then say it!” Syo said viciously, but hurt glints in his eyes again.

Ai has lots to say. The classic cliché which he has learnt from acting - for instance: Height doesn’t matter – is one which he thought is useless in such situations, because if three simple words could make up for the dozens of hurtful ones he shot, then this situation would not have occurred in the first place. There is also his confusion about the importance of height. Then, Syo’s reason for being sensitive about it in the first place.

There are a lot more things Ai can say, but instead, he decides to go about it in a different way.

“Teach me martial arts.”

“W-What?” Hurt and furious eyes transform into shock and bewilderment.

Ai knows his plan worked. To deal with unpredictable test subjects, one must stun them before they stun you. He shoots his junior a blank stare.

“I asked if you could teach me martial arts, in return for the schedules I have been fixing for you.” It is his job as a senior, but technicalities never seem to matter in face with the complexity of human emotions.

Syo considers it for a moment and shrugs.

“Sure, fine. Whatever.”

Hours later, after being beaten ‘black and blue’, Ai wonders if an AI is capable of being masochistic. He subtly hides the cracks of his skin on his left elbow with his right hand, pretending to be in pain, but strides confidently next to a slumping, sweating, but obviously less stressed Syo. Ai wonders this time if such injury falls within his responsibilities as a senior in the Master Course.

They walk in silence, and there is nothing to say about the silence itself. Humans always assign whatever emotion they liked to inanimate things, and though Ai is curious about the expression on Syo’s face, he restrains his thoughts. The beautiful effect of his words synonymous to ‘short’ is blossoming on his skin. There must be a limit to how suicidal one could be in a day.

Ai decides he had listened to Ranmaru curse for one too many times when Reiji comes into view.

The man turns mid-smile (When was he ever not smiling? It was uncomfortable, how the man is always lying with a smile and feeding him information that he’s never certain is accurate. Unless Reiji is offering advice, of course.), and the grey eyes takes on a subtle edge visible only to members of the Quartet Night when they catch the blooming bruises; the grimace on Ai’s face which he had been unable to hold back. (Damn the lagging of his reaction time.) They leap to Syo’s downtrodden face and harden minutely.

Bless him. Of all people they had to come across. It just has to be the most dramatic of the group.

“Ai-Ai, did the boyfriend of another one of your fan girls beat you up again?” Reiji saunters up to them, clapping his shoulder casually, though partially visible tension underline his words. “Want me to bring him over to the dark side by charming him?”

It is a joke, of course. It’s disconcerting still to Syo, whose expression turns strange at the way Reiji easily joked about such dark things.

Ai does not withhold his sigh.

“I deemed it necessary to learn martial arts to defend myself from such situations. Syo offered.” It’s the blandest summary he could give without breaking confidentiality.

Reiji nods, giving him a look that speaks of a talk in the future, and Ai wonders why he even bothered trying.

“Well, let’s go to my room so I can fix you up! I have some medicine which may work there!” Reiji cheers and leans down.

Ai curses softly under his breath when a strong muscular arm wraps around his thighs and brings him up. He can’t resist either, unless he wants to risk Syo discovering he’s a robot. Reiji stumbles momentarily but regains his balance and beams brightly down at Syo.

“Reiji! Stop that-! Put me-” –down, he wants to say, but Reiji gives him a look that makes him give up.

“Let big brother handle you~☆!” The brunette smiles blindingly and Ai sighs in resignation.

There’s no helping it. When Reiji gets that look, however often he is bullied by the members of the Quartet Night, he always manages to get his way.

As they make their way to the brunette’s room, Syo calls out.

“W-Wait!”

“Hm?”

“Ah?”

The two members of Quartet Night hum as they look down at the awkwardly shifting junior. Syo looks down before meeting Ai’s eyes reluctantly. A hint of blush is on his cheeks, perhaps out of embarrassment or anger or maybe even shame, or perhaps a bit of all three.

“…I’m sorry for hurting you. And thank you.” The later part is declared solemnly.

Ai cocks his head and replies blandly in turn.

“Height does not define humans. In the end, most humans are still between one to two metres tall.”

A pause for a heartbeat as they process his words and Reiji bursts out laughing.

“Ai-Ai, you’re so cute!” He laughs.

“W-What’s that supposed to be?! Is that meant to be a comfort?!” Syo’s face is red again, this time completely from anger. However, Ai noted, it appears that none of the insecurity from previously is evident in that expression any longer.

An hour later, when Ai is nestled under Reiji’s rocket themed sheets at the older man’s insistence (It’s useless though, really.), a soft knock on the door jolts him out from his low power mode. Reiji places a hand protectively on the comforter and yells for the visitor to enter, to which a flushing Syo does with a small amount of discomfort. He offers salve for bruises and mutters another word of gratitude before leaving.

As Reiji leaves to call for Shining, Ai looks to the desk where Syo’s salve sits and feels warmth blossoming in his chest. It takes a moment to realize he’s smiling and another before he decides to shut down completely.

He will ask his engineer when he is fixed. It appears that robots are susceptible to masochism as well.

.

VIII. Housekeeping

.

When the Master Course is set up for a new generation of idols, an unused suite is prepared. Then, the new generation moves in. This is later followed by a none-too-harmful hazing in the form of them getting their space taken over by their seniors.

This process has supposedly repeated with the many mansions the President had all over Japan, and even a few outside the nation.

Ranmaru sometimes laments that fact, if only because of the sheer size of the mansion itself and the dust that are hidden all around every corner he turned. It’s frustrating. In fact, it’s a fucking unliveable place that they now had to call ‘home’ for the next few months or so. His fingers twitch just at the thought of the dust bunnies lying all around.

He had tried to keep away from the rest of the mansion for several days, locking himself in the room. It didn’t work, as expected. It hadn’t worked when he was a junior either, forced into a bunk bed with some bastard above him, snoring every single moment of the night.

In the end, Ranmaru gave into the urge and grabbed a cloth. He resigned himself to the fate of cleaning for the whole day for the next few couple of off days he could get. Hell if he was going to live in such a dirty place.

Surprisingly, Masato shared his sentiments.

It was via one simple meeting with the duo in their respective cleaning outfits, holding dirty cloths and brooms and mops and dustpans that the two begun their bonding. It certainly helped that the manor was large, leaving their bonding time spanning for dozens of days with some work days in between. And of course, the fact that they agreed on the need to murder one Jinguji Ren one day, if only due to his inability to keep his dirty clothes _washed, on the side of his room or at least, on his own bed._

Hey. Ranmaru is an artist with a knack for cooking. It only figures that messy people like Ren irritate him.

.

XI. Stress-inducing

.

It does not take a fool to realize the tension between the two roommates he has.

Ranmaru isn’t sure, really. He’s not a clan kid, unlike them, but apparently, the problem has got something to do with a naturally unhealthy blend of childhood admiration, clan rivalry, and something of a brotherly relationship. In his honest opinion, it just seems more like sexual tension.

It certainly seems like sexual tension, especially from the way they act.

Every morning, despite his complaints, Masato wakes Ren up at the exact same time. A set of clothes is prepared, not unlike how the typical wife prepares a suit for her husband. Ren wakes up with one too many grumbles and an almost unsightly, though it could be sexy to some, visage. The two then prepare for a new day.

They banter while doing it, of course.

The goddamn banters.

Those things have kept him up at night, irritating him as much as Reiji’s favourite soap operas with the ‘I love you’ and ‘I love you more’. (Reiji would say Ran-Ran’s jealous of those couples because he’s a sexually repressed bachelor.) They have awoken him on his rare days off. They pounded his head when he’s having a migraine. They basically made him wonder if he was such a brat when he was as young as they were – and if he would be as irritating if he’s ever married to some woman with as much opinion as they do.

Under such stressful conditions, the words somehow twisted themselves into something different in his perverse, sick mind.

“Wake up already, you loaf.” _Don’t make me kiss you awake._

“I’ve been up since dawn, Hijirikawa.” _–staring at the bunk bed above mine, hoping to stare through the wood and sheets-_

“Well, go get yourself ready. You’re not an elementary kid in need of his mother to command his every action.” _You’re one needy lover._

“Right, _Mom._ ” _Can’t blame me since you’re nurturing in nature._

“Stop irritating me and go already. Nanami-san and the others are waiting for us.” _Spare the sexual tension for another time._

“Urgh. Get a room.” Ranmaru blurted out unintentionally, eyes widening at his lack of tact when two pairs of eyes turned to him to stare blankly, as if so disgusted by his very insinuation that the depth of the emotion could not be expressed with mere expressions. Or perhaps, he was right, and they were just so astonished by how he realized and by telling them to ‘get a room’, they were technically in a room with just him here and-

Heterochromic eyes widened at the possibility and he dropped his face into his palms, leaving the room as if Satan himself was after him. He very well might be.

“…What’s wrong with him?”

“My memory is blurry, but it appears that Kurosaki-san has returned drunk last night.”

“…Oh. We should cut down on our banters then.”

“Indeed.”

Poor Ranmaru.

.

X. Newcomer

.

Poor Camus.

It didn’t take them long to realize that the newcomer is more trouble than any of their charges are. Combined though, that would change the situation for just a bit, particularly for Ranmaru’s case. 

They watch in amusement from afar as Camus introduces himself as _himself_ , rather than the façade he has fabricated over the years. Well, that’s one problem taken care of, even if Tokiya and Otoya are staring way too much with their eyes far too indulging for Reiji’s concern. He never actually bothered to correct them on that misconception, figuring they would eventually learn about such types of people in the entertainment industry. Not to mention, the looks of pity sent towards Camus are amusing. Serves him right for bullying his cute juniors!

“…Aijima Cecil. He is a prince of the Lagnoria Kingdom and theoretically higher in rank than Camus. It would be interesting to observe the manner in which Camus takes to him.” Ai concludes as they watch Camus twitch in indignation at the young prince’s spoilt attitude.

“…uh…”

Reiji shoots his group member a look of concern. Ranmaru has been laying across several chairs arranged linearly for a while now, an arm thrown over his eyes more in exhaustion than in disinterest at the events ongoing below them.

“Are you okay?” Reiji asks out of concern.

“The banters of your juniors appear to have kept you up again.” Ai notes blandly.

“…They’re _demons_. Or incubus. I’m not sure anymore.” Ranmaru groans.

“But you really have to deal with them soon, you know. Your work will be affected if they keep that up.” Reiji pats him on the head cautiously, continuing the action when his hand’s not swatted away. Ranmaru _really_ must be out of it.

“I plan to do that sometime soon. But for now, sleep.” Three seconds later, Ranmaru is lost to them.

“Oh, my~” Reiji swoons. “How cute~!” He’s got to take lots of pictures for this!

“…Truly, I wonder what effect Cecil will have on Camus.”

Reiji turns and eyes Ai wryly at those words. The idol isn’t smiling, but even that fails to hide the glint of amusement in his eyes. There’s just no denying that Camus could handle himself, assertive personality and all as a package… But it would be truly interesting to see Camus of all people blowing a fuse.

Slowly, a smile spreads across Reiji’s face as well.

“It’d be fun with the newcomer here, na~?” He beams.

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually written years back, shortly after what I termed my 'Essay years'.  
> It was posted, deleted, and now it's posted again.  
> We'll see if this gets deleted again.


End file.
